Why are Rolls-Royce cars so expensive?
Rolls Royce is synonymous with luxury when we talk about car manufacturing. But what makes Rolls Royce so expensive is not the car itself but the numerous customization options that Rolls Royce offers for each and every individual car.
Rolls Royce is known to produce handcrafted automobiles that promise a seamless carpet ride; Rolls-Royce ride is an experience, which is what they are selling and not the car itself. Some of the entry prices of the popular Rolls Royce models are Phantom at $450,000, Ghost at $314,000, Wraith at $322,000, and Cullinan at $330,000. A Rolls Royce car with an unlimited number of extras, upgrades, and customizations that make the cost of a unique Rolls Royce unknown or limitless.
If we try and delve into all the aspects of customization that make a Rolls Royce car expensive, it would not fit in one video or go on for hours, so here are the main reasons why Rolls Royce Cars are so expensive.
The Paintjob
The paint shop for Rolls Royce is called Surface Finish Centre as they believe that calling it a Paintjob or Painting the car would be an insult, and we agree. Rolls Royce cars are all about class and luxury, and when you see a nice shiny color on a smooth running Rolls, you know that it is all about sophistication.
Rolls Royce has a color palette of over 44,000 colors, and each of them is uniquely designed to fit customer specifications. They have replicated lipstick shades, house colors, or any item colors that the customer wanted. One of the funniest stories Rolls Royce shared was when they had to replicate the color of a customer’s dog, a red setter.
Rolls Royce replicates any color you want by creating the exact chemistry through all possible technologies and presenting uniqueness. If you ever made your own color with Rolls, you would be allowed to give it a name, and Rolls-Royce will register the colors to you, and you will own it. If anyone ever wanted to replicate the same colors, Rolls will have to ask for your permission to use it again.
But why is the paint shop called a surface finish center? Well, any Rolls car is coated with a minimum of seven layers of coat. The primer, the base coat, the layers of color, and two clear coats of lacquer give the car a clear shine.
If you customize your car, you could have up to 23 layers of color coating, which Rolls Royce has already done before and adds up to 45 kilograms of weight of just paint. Moreover, if any customer wants to create special effects unique to their car, they can infuse elements into the paint coats. Once a wealthy customer wanted some extra sparkle, he got Rolls Royce a bag of diamonds, which they crushed and added to the coat to get an extra glimmer.
Additionally, if you ever thought about the beautiful pinstripes on a Rolls Royce, you have to thank the one and only coachliner of Rolls Royce, Mark Court. Mark is the only person in the Rolls Royce BMW group who draws pinstripes on all Rolls Royce cars and does so with his special brushes made of squirrel hair as it does not leave any brush marks. If a customer ever decides to add coach lines to their car, Mark is on hand to travel anywhere with his paintbrushes.
Exterior and Interior Handcrafting
Everything in a Rolls is handcrafted. From the exterior radiator grill to the interiors of the car, everything is unique to every car. Two of the most remarkable features of any Rolls Royce car are the Self-righting wheel centers that ensure that the RR logo never goes upside down and the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament. In 2003, BMW paid $65 million to get the rights to the Rolls Royce name, symbol, and the Spirit of Ecstasy.
Rolls Royce cars are fitted with approximately 300 pounds of acoustic insulation or soundproofing around the cabin to create a virtually silent ride. Continental developed a unique tired tire fitted with foam and can reduce the road noise by 9 decibels.
The soundproofing results were so extraordinary that they had to remove certain soundproofing to avoid the sensory deprivation of the engine acoustics.
Another interior design marvel of a Rolls Royce is the astonishing headliner that resembles the night sky’s stars. They are obtained by perforating and fitting fiber optics to each hole to create a starry effect for the interior of the car. Alexandra Benga, the person-in-charge of the headliner design operation, has mentioned making up to 1,340 holes to achieve a perfect night sky full of stars.
Next in line is the ‘upholster’ and the embroidery on it, which is tailor-made specific to each new car and customer. Every aspect of the embroidery is particular to the images that need to be embroidered. The different angles of the stitches will reflect the light in different ways, so they do not just go for a flat image but take it to the next level by creating a three-dimensional effect through their expert stitching.
The most complex embroidery project ever undertaken by Rolls Royce was the special Rose Phantom model, which consisted of 1 million individual stitches.
The dashboard of any Rolls is nothing less than an art gallery. You can fit anything into it as per your whim and get it customized precisely as you want it. The dashboard, the console, and the door panels are made of several kinds of wooden or metal inserts, with each having different and unique grains or patterns. If that was not impressive enough, Rolls Royce also makes sure to use leather that is only made from bulls as cows tend to have stretch marks after pregnancy. Talk about extensive attention to detail, right?
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Performance
It’s one thing to look nice and be too luxurious, but a car also has to perform exceptionally well to be on top of the list for so many years consistently. Rolls Royce cars are made to get on the road and get the job done. Rolls Royce is known for making the most luxurious and best-performing cars in the world, setting the benchmark for class and luxury. Drivers do not have to get into a Rolls Royce and learn how everything happens. Everything in a Rolls Royce just happens. This is why Rolls Royce is so very different from other luxury car brands in the world.
When you talk about the performance of a car, you also talk about the speed. Rolls Royce is powered by V-12 turbocharged engines and is recorded to have a top speed of 155 miles per hour, which is electronically restricted. Unlike most race cars, Rolls Royce does not have a fast pickup by steadily accelerates while maintaining its composure, as a classy car would typically do.
The history of Rolls Royce engines goes way back to the 1900s when Rolls Royce held the record for the top speed of 300 miles per hour, which is difficult to achieve even now.
While adding all the luxury to the car, Rolls Royce does not compromise on speed or engine performance with its 6.75-liter V-12 engine that can go from 0-60 miles per hour in just 5 seconds.
While other high-end car manufacturers focus on speed, movements, and lightweight supercars, Rolls Royce focuses specifically on one thing above all, LUXURY.
